Manila Bulletin
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'You cannot rebrand violence as human rights': Group slams Cayetano's 'pro-life' defense of drug war
Philippines
National
'You cannot rebrand violence as human rights': Group slams Cayetano's 'pro-life' defense of drug war
'You cannot rebrand violence as human rights': Group slams Cayetano's 'pro-life' defense of drug war
By Jel Santos
Published May 25, 2026 01:19 pm
(Photo: Alan Peter Cayetano Facebook page)
A network advocating evidence-based drug policies rejected Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano’s description of the Duterte administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign as a “human rights campaign,” saying the bloody crackdown was marked by violence, fear, and impunity.
In a statement issued on Monday, May 25, the ACCEPT Drug Education Network said the so-called “war on drugs” could not be reframed as a rights-based campaign despite attempts at political “rebranding.”
“The so-called ‘War on Drugs’ was never a human rights campaign, and no amount of political rebranding can change the violence, fear, and impunity that defined it,” the group said.
The statement came after Cayetano, during a Facebook live video last Saturday, May 23, claimed that the Duterte administration’s anti-illegal drugs campaign was a “human rights campaign” and a “pro-life campaign” because illegal drugs destroy lives and communities.
“Ang campaign against drugs is a human rights campaign. It’s a pro-life campaign, dahil pumapatay ang drugs (The campaign against drugs is a human rights campaign. It’s a pro-life campaign because drugs kill people),” he said.
It can be recalled that Cayetano served as foreign affairs secretary and House speaker during the Duterte administration.
ACCEPT said many deaths linked to the anti-drug campaign were not caused by illegal drugs alone but by the violence allegedly enabled by punitive state policies.
“In many cases, it was not drugs alone that killed people. It was the violence enabled by punitive and arbitrary policies, the dehumanization of people who use drugs, and the failure of the state to provide accessible health services, social protection, and evidence-based care,” it added.
The group stressed that a human rights-based approach to substance use should be anchored on public health, scientific evidence, and human dignity.
“This means recognizing that substance use exists along a continuum and requires a comprehensive continuum of care that spans prevention, harm reduction, treatment, rehabilitation, and social reintegration,” the group said.
“It means addressing the social determinants that shape vulnerability, including poverty, inequality, trauma, and exclusion,” it added.
As such, the network called for accountability over the thousands of deaths linked to the anti-drug campaign.
“Thousands of families continue to grieve loved ones who were denied justice, due process, and even the presumption of innocence,” ACCEPT said.
“Reparations and accountability are necessary not only to provide redress to victims, but to send a clear message that state-sanctioned violence and human rights violations will never again be tolerated,” it added.
The group further said the Senate should focus on “evidence-informed policymaking” instead of reviving what it described as “failed and discredited policies.”
“The Filipino people deserve better than fear-based politics masquerading as public service,” ACCEPT said.
“What we need are sensible, evidence-driven, and compassionate approaches that strengthen care systems, protect communities, uphold human rights, and deliver justice to victims and their families,” it added.